Are USPS Padded Flat Rate Envelopes out of stock or no longer available? Can't even find them on the

[busybeeshopper12]

website. I have heard about USPS free supplies being delayed or out of stock but I can't even find the Padded Flat Rate envelopes listed. If I am missing something please let me know. If not what alternatives are you using if these were your go to for certain orders? Luckily, I can usually just buy bubble mailers and send priority but sometimes the flat rate option is cheaper. Thanks!

[a_c_green]

---

@wastingtime101 wrote:

The clear envelopes for customs forms were also "discontinued" with a "page not found" about 2 years ago. They suddenly appeared back in the USPS store a couple months ago. I'm not counting out the PFREs just yet.

---

I am, and I can't say I'm surprised. Check out this thread (below) from a few years back. The link here will go to my reply within the thread, but jumping back to the first post of that thread is worthwhile: 

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/Selling-fragil-items-Don-t-buy-bubble-wrap-Just-use-the-free/m... 

Sooner or later the USPS was going to figure out that padded Flat Rate envelopes were probably the single most abused and wasted resource that they were giving away. Priority packages have their own barcode (usually on either the back side or bottom flaps) to compare with the sender's label and verify that the proper postage has been paid for that particular Flat Rate package, so it would be pretty easy for the USPS to compare the number of PFRE envelopes in actual use for mailing with the number that they were shipping to customers for free, and see what must be a staggering disparity. This is why we can't have nice things.

[busybeeshopper12]

thank you for sharing this here. someone showed the same (or very similar) thing in my post on another forum. At least everyone should be aware. Bummer!

[biggymoe]

Asked local PO clerk about this today.  She is also the person that orders those supplies.  She hadn't heard anything about them being discontinued.  As a matter of fact, she said she had just received a box of 100.

I very seldom use those, but did have her give me a few, just in case.

Might be worthwhile to check at your local PO.

[st.remydeprovence]

Nothing the USPS does ever surprises me.  It is one of the most poorly-run operations in existence today.  They may well have discontinued them; however, I bought three (3) Priority Mail Padded Flat Rate Envelope shipping labels today on the USPS website.  Only afterward did I discover the unavailability of the envelopes.  What now, USPS!? 

[nobody*s_perfect]

There might be more than one poorly-run operation here.  Why did you purchase labels for packaging that you did not have in hand? Labels are only valid for 24 hours, did you plan to order labels and then ship when they arrived?!  If you can't pick them up at your local PO then you'll have to void the labels and purchase appropriate ones (for another flat rate envelope, or for a box).

[st.remydeprovence]

Wow!  That was an interesting (rude and unnecessary) assumption and response.  

I had enough Priority Mail Padded Flat Rate Envelopes to use the labels.  However, afterward I realized my supply was dwindling and attempted to order more.  

I was merely pointing out that while the USPS has current unavailability online of these envelopes, the fact that they are selling the labels for them gives me reason to hope they will continue to be offered . . . unless, of course, this is yet another oversight on their part.  

[bgt_masters_of_tiki_d]

They have discontinued them (for free) altogether from what I am hearing.  I believe it was announced back in August of last year. If I understand correctly you will have to pay for them in advance essentially before using them. Its also rumored there is a chance the same thing might happen to some of their other flat rate supplies. 

[doubledz-a2z]

---

@stuff4divas wrote:

@busybeeshopper12 

Good idea from @mtgraves7984  to put your bubble envelope into the cardboard flat rate envelope, but if they don't fit, order the legal size ones too as a back up bc they will have extra room to stretch out and cost just a little more to ship.

I thought the USPS Flat Rate Envelopes could only be 1/4" thick?

---

[nobody*s_perfect]

---

@doubledz-a2z wrote: ... I thought the USPS Flat Rate Envelopes could only be 1/4" thick?

---

There is no thickness limit on the flat rate envelopes.  That limit of 1/4 inch only applies to First Class letters.

A few years ago, there was a USPS employees' newsletter which published some misinformation about the limits on the shape and thickness of flat rate envelopes. To correct this, USPS issued a memo which clearly explains that there is no limit on thickness, as long as the flaps can close correctly.  It's actually the most amusing thing ever published by any government agency, IMHO.

https://about.usps.com/postal-bulletin/2016/pb22435/html/updt_002.htm

[glenvonnie]

Here is a Postal Bulletin dated 9-23-21 about changes to the size of PM boxes and envelopes, maybe the new ones aren't out yet.

https://about.usps.com/postal-bulletin/2021/pb22581/html/info_002.htm

[nobody*s_perfect]

None of the flat rate envelopes are on that list.

[valueaddedresource]

Though I know they are not nearly as popular as the flat rate padded envelopes, just a heads up that USPS announced today they are discontinuing the priority flat rate large board game boxes.

https://postalpro.usps.com/node/10567

[nobody*s_perfect]

Thanks for the heads up.  This will certainly resolve the question of how USPS would handle this box after April 3, when there is a new policy with a surcharge for packages over 22 inches.  As the announcement says, "Factors in this decision include the inability to run this production package processing equipment, costs associated with manually processing this product, and reduced customer usage in recent years."   Manual processing is one of the resaons for the new surcharge.

This box never made sense to me.  It's usually cheaper to ship board games via regular Priority Mail. At current rates, the Large FRB is more expensive than shipping 3 pounds to Zone 1 - 8, 4 pounds to Zone 1 - 7, or 5 pounds to Zone 1 - 6.

[a_c_green]

---

@nobody*s_perfect wrote:

This box never made sense to me.  It's usually cheaper to ship board games via regular Priority Mail. At current rates, the Large FRB is more expensive than shipping 3 pounds to Zone 1 - 8, 4 pounds to Zone 1 - 7, or 5 pounds to Zone 1 - 6.

---

It might have started out as a specialty box for some high-volume customer of theirs, and then morphed into a Flat Rate variant for the general public if its internal volume was something similar to their square Flat Rate Large size. (I once received a Priority Mail box in a compact shoe box shape from some outfit that had contracted for PM boxes with their company logo on the outside, along with the standard blue Priority artwork and USPS logos.) I have a whole carton of the Board Game boxes in my basement, of which I think I've used precisely one, many years ago. I think I used it to ship a board game. 😁 (Either that or a Lego set, maybe.)

I have always thought that the selection of box sizes they offered was really haphazard in the first place. They've got around three variations on a wide flat rectangular shape (vaguely 3" x 12" x 15" or so) that seem to be within 1"-2" of each other in each dimension, where maybe one version would do. They've got the #04 cube of 7"x7"x6" (okay, not quite a cube) but nothing in a useful rectangular shoebox-shape beyond the official "Shoe Box" that's a lot longer, or the Regional Rate A that's... okay, I guess...

They used to have a small-ish standard PM rectangular box very similar to the Flat Rate Small box (just a bit larger), but discontinued that some time back, perhaps hoping to drive more business to the Flat Rate Small. I still have a quantity of those in the basement, so whenever I have a small but high-value shipment that I want to send Priority rather than First Class, I look to see whether my old PM box will be cheaper than a Flat Rate Small, and sometimes it is. Sometimes that difference is only two cents, but hey, you never know when you might suddenly need two cents... such as for expressing an opinion here... 😁

[nobody*s_perfect]

---

@a_c_green wrote: ... They used to have a small-ish standard PM rectangular box very similar to the Flat Rate Small box (just a bit larger), but discontinued that some time back, perhaps hoping to drive more business to the Flat Rate Small..... 

---

Are you thinking of the 1096L? That's still available.  The original 1096 became the small flat rate box, they just changed the printing on it.

https://store.usps.com/store/product/shipping-supplies/priority-mail-box-1096l-P_O_1096L